Missoni

by Salvatore Izzo

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Three sons, nine grandchildren and a wife he adores: those are the numbers that made Ottavio Missoni a winner. But actually, many national titles in the four hundred meter dash and having placed 6th place in the 1948 Olympics in London were also important, because it is thanks to his passion for sports that he met Rosita Jelmini, his partner in life and work, for the first time. "House and workshop "is the motto, or rather the philosophy of life that unites Ottavio and Rosita and settled them near the company in Sumirago, where even today, the whole family gets together. In Italy, the Missoni family is the most capable of foreseeing the style potential and appeal of knitwear and the combination of colors. So much so, that their unusual way of interpreting knitwear captures the international market with its innovative technique, including patch working, and is considered a milestone in the growth of knitwear as a luxury item. Missoni spent a lifetime on research and creative experimentation, which was not always met with immediate success. In 1967, it was Missoni who first proposed the nude look on the runway at Palazzo Pitti in Florence.

And only one year later, this way of interpreting the woman was accepted as a successful style experiment when Yves Saint Laurent presented it in Paris. In any case, the Missoni brand was still unstoppable and crossed the ocean receiving extraordinary acclaim in the world of American fashion. In 1970, Bloomingdale's opened a Missoni store in New York City and their success became global. In those years, Ottavio held dear many styles of prints like florals, stripes, geometric patterns, the iconic zigzag and the unmistakable flamed jacquard weave. In the second half of the 70s, the Palazzo Pitti experience gave way to the runways of Milan and the enthusiasm from the public and the press was electrifying. But the house kept their feet firmly on the ground and looked towards the future: they added accessories, fragrances, underwear, fabrics, furniture and even a luxury hotel chain, with the first oneopening in Edinburgh in 2009, to their men’s and women’s collections. In recent years, the Missoni family has grown, with children and successors in tow. Vittorio has assumed responsibility for sales, Luca has taken on the technical side and Angela is the Art Director and Style Manager for the label, stepping up the sexy-folk side.